We Are Brothers
by DeadLight63
Summary: The IMC moves in to recover critical plans from the hands of the Militia. The team they're sending, however, is family.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I was initially going to make this one long short story, like with my previous Titanfall story. However, I decided to break this one up into individual chapters considering how wildly the locations & scenarios are going to vary in this particular story. Just another heads up, this story is a sequel to my similarly named "We Are Men" story. For those that have read "The Journal of Desmond Price", I'm sure you'll recognize a few of these names as well. Moving right along...**

"Sixty seconds out." I readied my rifle at those words. More words that blended into one. Some days I wonder just how many have done that. The carrier shook briefly before it steadied, causing me to throw my hand up to the hand bars on the roof. You could always tell a real pilot from a Titan Pilot. As far as I cared, a Titan Pilot could actually control their crafts. We were going to a Militia run planet, apparently full of lush forests and mountains, in order to obtain blueprints on a new Titan the Militia was building. The hope was to find an exploitable weakness in their design, and create a kill-switch that would utilize it. Course, this started out as Black Ops, but when the Apex Predators, local mercenaries, never came home, IMC actually sent in real Pilots & troopers. Wasn't long before the Militia found them. Our first order of business was to rescue the teams and crew sent in before us. Then we went for the plans.

"Look alive boys! Militia's really fighting back this time, let's show em what good ol' IMC tactics can do!" Shouted a pilot from behind us. Turning to face the sound, I looked behind me to see Captain Samantha Arnolds, a rising officer in the IMC. I smiled slightly upon seeing her. Her kind blue eyes looked back at me, and she gave me a pat on the shoulder as her pony-tail tied blonde hair swung slightly with the carrier.

"I have faith in you Adrian, I know you'll get this done." She said. I simply nodded in response as she lifted her helmet over her head and gave it a quick pat. Unlike other Pilots, Captain Arnolds operated under the idea of treating her men like beloved brothers and sons. As far as troop loyalty and favorability was concerned, it definitely worked.

"Helmets on boys!" She shouted. Within seconds, every grunt in that carrier had their helmets on, lighting up the inside with bright blue lights. I waved my hand in front of my face a few times, no blurs, good to go. Across from me was my best mate, Corporal Jonathan Spencer. One look at him, and he confirmed he was ready to go with a thumbs up. Beside him, Specialist Gerrard Everett, a close friend and trusted squadmate since before I ever dreamed of becoming a sergeant, who simply nodded at me. My rifle, Jon's LMG, and Everett's Longbow were well known among our fellow grunts, and even small celebrities for taking out a Titan all on our own. One look at my squad, and I knew we were ready to live up to those stories. The intercom warned us that we had forty seconds left as Arnold's came to the front of the carrier and turned to face us, her helmet radiating blue light across all of us.

"You all know why we're here! Go in, Secure the site, get those blueprints, and run like the devil himself is after you to the evac! Once we touch down, we'll link up with the other squads at my command!" After that small retread of our orders, Arnolds looked to me and another grunt, one Staff Sergeant Desmond Price, the only grunt on board above my rank as Sergeant.

"Price, Miles, I'm counting on you two to lead my boys to victory! Now I know you're the best the IMC has to offer, and we're gonna show everyone else why! Because what are we?!" She shouted. And in one voice, we responded.

"WE ARE FAMILY! WE ARE BROTHERS! WE ARE ONE!" As we shouted that, Arnolds pumped her fist in the air.

"Heck yeah we are, boys! Now let's show the Militia what happens when you mess with our family, HOOAH?!"

"HOOAH!" We screamed in response.

"GOD I love that woman!" Jon shouted.

"You'd have to be crazy not to!" Everett shouted in response. The intercom armed us of the drop zone being twenty seconds away. We all fell silent as Arnonlds turned to the doors of the carrier and unhooked her carbine from her back, the standard R-101. The carrier began to rumble as the sound of gunfire began to break through the thin walls of our carrier, causing anyone who wasn't holding onto the handrails to quickly do so. Ten seconds the intercom warned us. I realized then that I was holding my breath. As I exhaled, the carrier doors slowly opened, halting just above the ground as it did. I could see the dirt and dust being flung around as the close proximity of the carrier disturbed the landscape. Turning back to us, Arnolds motioned toward the new land before shouting;

"Let's get em' boys!" She shouted. As I and my brothers yelled in agreement, she led the charge into the jungle canopy. The grunts in front of me quickly followed suit, dirt being flung by them as bullets crashed into the ground beside them, only just missing their intended targets. After one last exhale, I launched myself forward, jumping slightly once I reached the edge of the platform and sprinting at full speed to keep up with my brothers. Gunfire whizzed around me, crashing into dirt, trees, and rock as Everett and Jon sprinted beside me. Not too far in front of us, we could see Arnolds running along side other grunts, as if to cement herself as one of us, it wasn't the first time she had done this.

"All squads, this is Starborn, be advised, friendly reinforcements coming in at your six! Over!" I heard the radio shout. I watched as the dirt continued to jump up into the air, but now, I saw another sight. Fellow IMC forces rushing around in a camp, some injured, others running for cover from something.

"Where the heck were you guys?! Militia's tearing us apart! Get over here and help us take down these aircraft! Over!" The radio blared back at me. Aircraft, so that's where the bullets were coming from.

"Roger that! Kilo, Sentinel, get your launchers on the move! Redirect to best possible sightlines! Out!" As we charged forward, I was able to see the ships more clearly. Dropships, & heavily armored ships made for the friendly camp, a lot of them too. I looked around to find Price, and saw him shouting orders to his men amid the chaos of the field, orders made clear thanks to the radio. Within seconds, I noticed another man ready an Archer. I had to follow suit.

"Kilo 5-6 get your launcher ready! We need to clear the airspace as fast as possible! Kilos 2-3, 5-5, and 5-7, cover him!" I shouted into the radio as we deviated to the left of the others, towards a more open field. A streak of four men rushed past me, one of them, Geoffrey Hammond, readying his Archer as the three to his sides formed somewhat of a wall to protect him. I began to ready my own archer as Jon instinctively rushed to my side, Everett not far behind him. Our fourth man quickly primed a smoke grenade, and rushed behind us, a new guy by the name of Harold Elman. I just hoped he knew how to shoot.

A massive blast suddenly went off right as we got to the field, followed by a hail of gunfire as I raised my arm to try & cover myself. I quickly readjusted behind the treeline, taking cover behind a large tree as Everett popped off a few rounds before following suit. Jon lead our new guy forward as he opened fire, Elman using his rifle to counter attack.

"Kilo 2-2, take Kilo 5-8 and counter attack! Kilo 2-4, cover them!" I shouted as I peeked my head out from the treeline, seeing an offensive line of Militia rapidly charging our position. A hail of gunfire from Jon and Elman cut down a good number of them, but some of them still managed to set up defensive positions. To my right, Everett fired off several rounds to cover the others, taking focus off of them, and off of me. Taking this chance, I looked to the sky, and watched as the drop ship opened fire on allies unseen. With a deep breath, I quickly adjusted to aim my launcher at the ship.

 _Beep...Beep...BEEP BEEP BEEEEP._ Rang in my ears as I fired, the massive burst of flame and force pushing me back. I quickly turned back and took cover behind the tree again, waiting for the sound of an explosion. When it didn't come, I turned back to the battlefield, seeing several flares falling to the ground & around the sky, my rocket hopelessly chasing after one. I cursed as a quickly reloaded my archer.

"They're popping flares! Squad! Keep your rockets protected! We're going to need to burn through them!" I shouted into my radio as I finished reloading a rocket. Locking on was too risky, I only had so many, and there wasn't enough time to wait for it, I was going to have to free fire. I slammed it into place as I looked around the corner again. Jon had ducked behind a fallen tree to reload, with Elman firing away. Everett fired one shot before he hid behind his tree and dropped his mag.

"Guys just keep coming! They must be using the dropships on multi runs!" He shouted to me. I nodded and looked back to the field. More grunts appeared from the treeline, taking position as Jon popped back up and opened fire. Elman took his place behind cover as he reloaded. I smiled as I saw them work in tandem. Brothers indeed. I looked back up to the sky, watching the dropship's every move. With a loud shout, I looked from behind my cover, and fired my launcher without waiting for a lock on. The rocket soared through the air and slammed into the ship's wing, sending it careening towards the treeline as the craft flamed and sputtered. I pumped my fist & hid behind the tree as I heard a loud whooping from Jon.

"BLOODY NICE SHOT MATE!" He shouted. I noticed Everett give me a thumbs up from my right.

"Nice shooting Adrian." He simply said. I nodded and held up my hand, motioning it towards Jon & Elman. Everett nodded and adjusted, opening fire on the hostiles once more. I quickly readjusted my launcher, placing it on my back as I readied my rifle and moved away from my tree, firing four rounds before moving up. Four more rounds, then towards the others, Everett's shots rang in my ears as I watched Elman fire rounds of his own toward the enemy.

"This is Sentinel 2-1, dropship is out of the sky, Militia forces are retreating." I heard Price say as I slid beside my brothers by the log. Jon popped back up and opened fire, providing cover for Everett. Radio reports quickly flooded the coms, with each team reporting a successful takedown of the drop ships. But that wasn't what caught my attention. What caught my attention was a loud set of explosions from the sky, a large mass dropping from them. I smiled.

The large object dropped in front of our cover, causing several of the Militia to stumble back and shout out in panic. I watched as the massive machine got up and pulled a massive cannon from it's back. Soap, Arnolds' Titan. The titan quickly opened fire. The Militia grunts that didn't immediately run away were cut down as Jon started another round of whooping as he pumped his fist in the air. Elman stood by him, holding his rifle to his side as he breathed heavily, watching the Titan work.

"All squads, this is Starborn. Hostile forces are regrouping and retreating. Meet up in the main camp, we need to assess damage and prepare for phase 2. Nice work boys, you made me proud today. Starborn out." I heard Arnolds say into the radio. As she said this, Soap lowered his weapon and turned to face us. I gave a salute as I held my rifle with one hand. Soap, in turn, looked at one of his own hands, and after some struggling, gave me a thumbs up. I chuckled and lowered my hand, slapping Jon on the back.

"Come on boys, let's' get to camp."


	2. Battle Plans

I winced slightly as I looked around the camp. Dead bodies and injured soldiers were scattered everywhere, and some of them our own. Jon seemed just as fazed, while Everett seemed to be doing his best to avoid observing the scene. Behind me, I could hear Soap stomping close to the camp, but paid it no mind as I walked over to an injured grunt and knelt beside him.

"Right here, I got you brother." I said as I extended a hand to him. The grunt groaned in a strange mix of gratitude and pain as he clasped his hand around me. I noticed that his other arm lay limp at his side, with an unhealthy looking bulge where his elbow would have been. Bone displacement, most likely. And based on how he was trying to keep his weight off of his left leg, that was probably broken too. I wrapped the grunt's good arm around my shoulder as I decided to help him towards a medical tent, where he could hopefully sit more comfortably. Looking to my team, I noticed Jon and Everett had both gotten over their initial shock, while Elman still seemed a bit uneasy. Couldn't say I was surprised, this was probably the kid's first op.

"Jon, Gerard, start helping the injured. Remember disaster management." I said. Disaster management was our system for dealing with mass casualty events, like the one we were facing now. Ultimately, it was just fancy talk for saying "if someone's dying, help them first." The two of them nodded and set aside their weapons, Jon going towards a small tent with other grunts, while Everett moved the opposite way, jogging to a small group of grunts towards the edge of the camp. Elman, having just now come out of his trance, finally looked to me and stood at attention, awaiting his orders. I simply motioned for him to follow Jon. He nodded and jogged after him, after which I finally started moving the injured grunt to the tent. I looked behind me and saw Soap looking around at the carnage. If I had to guess, he was probably looking for Arnolds.

I grunted as I kept moving, the other grunt on my shoulder groaning in pain every few steps in so. It was kind of annoying to be honest, but I wasn't going to scold him for it. The guy was hurting. When I reached the tent, I looked around for an empty spot, only to see even more injured grunts as the healthy tried to do what they could for them. I even noticed a few combat medics applying oxygen and trying to splint their patients. Eventually, I found an empty spot by one of the beds, and decided that it was a better place for him than just standing. After carefully, helping him sit down, I placed my hand on his good shoulder and gave it a soft pat.

"You hang in there soldier, we'll have you back in order before you know it." I said reassuringly. The grunt, in turn, simply held out his hand, giving a thumb's up. I nodded to him and stood, studying the interior of the tent a bit closer. It was a bit larger than the others, unsurprisingly, and carried several small cots and mobile medicine stations. However, I took notice of something else. In the back of the tent, Arnolds was helping one of the medics, holding a grunt's head solidly in place as the medic tried to form a makeshift collar for the man. I slowly made my way over to her, making sure to avoid the medics and assisting grunts the best I could. Arnorlds and the medic finished their work as I arrived, as I took off my helmet and held it at my side.

"Ma'am?" I asked. Arnolds looked back at me, her tied hair swishing behind her neck as she did. Upon seeing me, her face lightened, and even formed a small smile as she turned to face me.

"Oh thank God..." She said as she walked toward me and stuck out an arm. I opened my own as she pulled me into a quick hug, gently squeezing before she released me and rested her hand on my shoulder for a second. After observing me for a second, probably to make sure I really was okay, she released me and placed a hand to her hip.

"How are the others?" She asked.

"Well my boys are fine, and I'm pretty sure Price is doing alright with his team. As for everyone else, I'm not too sure. I've already got Everett and Spencer helping the injured, Elman's working with Jon." I reported. She gave another soft smile and nodded, moving her hand to cross them in front of her.

"Good, now we just need to find the Pilot in charge," She pointed to me as she continued; "I want you and the other team leaders with me when we talk to him. Our next stop is the enemy stronghold, and I want you all informed of just what we're getting ourselves into." I nodded as she unfolded her other arm and began walking forward. She gently held out her hand and placed it on my shoulder, pushing just hard enough to pivot my body towards her. I took the hint and turned the rest of the way to follow her outside. Things finally seemed to be calming down slightly as the last of the injured were being helped to various parts of the camp, with the dead being moved aside to be sent home. Arnolds placed her hand to her ear and spoke.

"All team leaders under my command, this is Starborn, meet at the center of the camp. Out." She said. Not long after she had spoken those words, I noticed Desmond not too far to our right. From the looks of it, he was inspecting his weapon, checking for any kind of damage. Like me, he too had his helmet off, revealing jet black hair and brown eyes. As he made his way towards us, I again noticed a loud booming noise, and looked behind me. Surely enough, there was Soap, kneeling down and resting his weapon beside him as he looked to his Pilot. Arnolds smiled and walked towards him. The titan gently opened it's hand, extending it to her. Arnolds in turn placed her hand in his, smiling as she simply looked him in the eye. I in turn smiled at this, as Desmond walked up beside me and rested his rifle on his shoulder.

I snapped out of this when I noticed the other team leaders begin to congregate towards the center. I carefully observed each member, all of them with their helmets off, save for one. Ramirez still had his helmet tightly packed on his head, only a light blue glow emanating from it. The others, Mochida, Freeman, and Hans, were all unmasked, revealing varying hair colors and eye colors. I looked back to Arnorlds, and watched as she pulled her hand away from Soap's. She looked us over once, before asking each f the other leaders how their men were doing. To my relief, nothing but good reports all around, besides one of Hans' men getting shot in the shoulder. After he assured Arnolds that he was going to be okay, she motioned us to follow her.

We eventually pinned down the command tent, which seemed no different from any of the other tents. Probably intentional, if I were to guess. As we approached, Mochida jogged ahead of the rest of us and grabbed hold of the flap leading inside, pulling it back for everyone. Arnolds gave a gentle smile and nodded at him before slowly entering. I went in after her, noticing a large map strung along the furthermost wall of the tent, with what looked like a few tables and chairs along the side and front of it. A few officers lined the front of the tent, with a Pilot in full armor, minus his helmet. The Pilot turned to face Arnolds, and looked on in bewilderment as he saw so many grunts entering behind her. Deciding against commenting on this, I stood off to the side and placed my hands behind me respectfully, as Arnolds walked ahead of us and extended her hand to the Pilot.

"Major Gudam, Captain Arnolds." She said. The man looked back to her, then nodded before shaking her hand.

"Good to see you Captain. We appreciate your backup." He said. Arnolds nodded back before releasing the major's hand.

"Of course sir, we gotta look out for each other." She responded. To this Hans gave out a quiet 'hooah', just loud enough to be heard by us grunts. I smiled lightly as I looked to him, and he to me. I gave him a silent nod, and looked back to the Pilots. Gudam looked to us and crossed his arms, a confused and seemingly frustrated look in his eyes. I simply held my attention, keeping my hands behind my back. The major took another look at Arnolds, as if he was expecting her to tell us to leave. When she didn't, he groaned in annoyance.

"You can tell your grunts to leave now, this meeting doesn't concern them." He said.

"With all due respect sir, these grunts are my comrades, and my brothers. Not only that, but they will be right by my side every step of the way when we're taking those plans, so yes, this does concern them." She retorted. I stifled another smile as the Major narrowed his eyes at Arnolds, almost as if he was trying to tell if she was serious. Despite only being able to see the back of her head, I knew that Arnolds would have a straight face on. It was always a joy to hear Arnolds standing up for us little guys. Gudam groaned in annoyance as he turned back to the map.

"Fine then, they can stay." He said. This time, I couldn't hold my smile, and gave a soft chuckle as Arnolds turned around to face us. Once again she was smiling, and gave us a subtle wink before turning back to the Major, who was now attaining a small marker from one of the tables. As he walked back to the map, he circled a small piece of the map to the north.

"From what we can tell, the Militia is hiding out in a small city ten miles outside the range of this forest, at least based on what our scouts told us." He began. I studied the map dutifully as the other grunts beside me gave their full attention to the Major, as had Arnolds, though her arms were crossed in front of her rather than folded behind her back.

"Now our guys ran into a couple of snipers in the forest when they were making their way in, it's possible that the Militia will double down on them once they realize we've pushed back one of their attack parties. As for the city itself...' The Major pointed towards it, "Militia has patrols lining the entire perimeter, IMC forces would be seen within seconds of getting close. So your best bet will be to go in civilian casual." He finished. Arnolds gave a light nod and pondered this for a moment, as I looked to the other Grunts. Only Price caught my eye, and nodded to me. I nodded back and stood back at attention.

"Permission to speak?" Price asked. One look from the Major seemed to answer the question, but that wasn't the one any of us listened to. Instead, we listened to the next response. The one from our sister.

"Go ahead, Desmond." The Major turned an angry glare her way, though she paid it no mind. Price continued.

"Initial recon of the planet indicated that there was a major road about 20 miles to the east. If we could get the necessary vehicles to carry us all, we could pose as tourists to sneak our way inside. As for the blueprints, it would just be a matter of getting the information we needed to act." Arnolds smiled and nodded to him, silent appraisal going unsaid as pride beamed in her eyes. I knew that look all too well, as did all of us. The captain turned back to face the Major, and gave a slight nod.

"Major?" She asked. Gudam sighed and crossed his arms, looking to the ground as he seemed to think about this. I frowned and looked straight at him. If he had a better plan, he certainly hadn't said anything. Heck, that seemed to be what he was hinting at us to do. Maybe he was just angry that it had been a grunt to come up with the idea, and not Arnolds. With one last sigh, the Major looked up to Arnolds and nodded.

"I'll do what I can."


End file.
